The Turkish government reportedly has audio recordings showing that Khashoggi was dragged screaming from the consul general’s office, forced onto a table in a neighboring room and injected with an unknown substance. Khashoggi was reportedly then dismembered by a Saudi forensic doctor and autopsy expert who allegedly listened to music on headphones as he used a bone saw to cut a still-breathing Khashoggi into pieces. The New York Times reports four of the alleged Saudi hit men are linked to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s security detail. One of the men—Maher Abdulaziz Mutreb—has traveled frequently with the crown prince, including on his recent trip to the United States.
On Tuesday, President Trump defended Saudi Arabia’s ruling monarchs with an allusion to the fight over Brett Kavanaugh’s Supreme Court nomination, telling the Associated Press, “Here we go again with, you know, you’re guilty until proven innocent.” After headlines, we’ll go to Istanbul to speak with journalist Jamal Elshayyal outside the Saudi Consulate.